Take Your Pick
by bonboni
Summary: Jack hasn't seen Kate since they got rescued from the island. How will he react when she is rushed to hospital after being hit by a car? And how will he react to the person, that hit her, since as it someone, he knows very well? JATE.
1. Broken

**Title: Take Your Pick**

**Pairing: Jate**

**Rating: K+**

**Genre: Drama, Romance**

**Summary: Jack hasn't seen Kate since they got rescued from the island. How will he react when she is rushed to hospital after being hit by a car? And how will he react to the person, that hit her, since as it someone, he knows very well? Jate.**

**This is an idea that came into my mind and I decided to turn it into a fic. It is very different from the rest and I don't really know how many people will like it, but I am hoping that people read. I know pretty much where I am going with this, it all depends on whether you all review. If you don't then I'll probably delete it. So here is the first chapter, short I know ( I promise that future chapters will be longer!), but it's here. Please tell me your thoughts on it, if you want me to continue!**

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Chapter 1 - Broken

Four months... exactly four months and eleven days since Jack last saw her. He couldn't even bring himself to say her name. God, he loved her so much, but life wasn't always easy. He didn't know where she was. He didn't even know if she was safe from the police or if they got her, or maybe she was... he didn't even want to think about it. They had been nothing more than friends on the island, but they both loved each other even though they didn't know it. He was going to tell her that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her on the day when they got rescued. Rescue came and that is what stopped him; there's nothing else to it.

Jack sighed, resting his elbows on his desk and running his hands through his hair. He had gotten back to his life. He went back to his hospital doing the same job that he did what seemed like such a long time ago. At first, it seemed all too surreal. But then, he got used to it again; he got used to saving lifes.

He hadn't seen any of the survivors either. He saw Charlie on MTV with his band, but that was just it. Hurley had probably gotten something big with his money. Sawyer had probably gotten back to conning. Locke had probably gotten back to... well, his thoughts on the island. That was pretty much it; nothing interesting.

A knock came at the door and he snapped out of his thoughts and back to the real world.

"Come in." he said tiredly. A face that he didn't recognise appeared at the door and Jack looked at the tall, blonde woman curiously.

"Two patients have just been brought in. You are the most experienced surgeon here, so Dr. Wilkins wondered if you would take a look at them?"

"Yeah, I'm coming, uhh... Dr. Sailsbury." he said as he read her badge. "What happened to them?"

"Uh... the person was driving their car at night time, didn't see the pedestrian in front of her and hit her. The patient is diagnosed with four broken ribs, a spraigned wrist and internal bleeding. The driver is just beeing looked at. She is not that injured." Dr. Sailsbury said as she led Dr. Shephard towards the room where the patient was beeing looked at. He got inside and looked around. There were a few nurses trying to get her to regain concsiousness, and steady her breathing.

"Katherine Austen, twenty-four, diagnosed with inter-"

"Wait, what did you say?!" Jack screamed at Dr. Sailsbury while he went over to her bed.

"I said Katherine Aust-" the world blacked out for Jack.

"Kate." Jack breathed as a single tear ran down his cheek. It was her. She was broken and for once in his life, Jack didn't know how to fix it.


	2. Surprise

_Wow! Eight reviews! Thank you so much! I didn't think that this fic would do so well!_

_**Emily & SassyLostie** : Thank you so so much to both of you for reading and reviewing cos I didn't think that you would since as both of you are skaters! And no, Emily, Sawyer is not the driver! LOL! And don't worry, Sassy about the advertising! I'm just about to go and read those fics of yours..._

_**hersheygal, ILOVESHOES, Amanda & Katie** : Aw! Thank you so much, all of you! And, no, hersheygal; I won't delete it now after all of the amazing reviews I got! ILOVESHOES: No, Sawyer is not female! LOL! And, thanks, Amanda and Katie for those sweet reviews both of you left me!_

_**Hellmouth20** : Woah! I didn't know you hated Sarah that much! I mean, she can be a bit annoying sometimes but you seem to hate her a lot! Well, I'm glad that you like Kate more than Sarah, though! Thanks for your amazing review!_

_**Lost-Inuyasha** : Jack was sure that he wasn't able to fix her, cos he is a spinal surgeon and Kate's injures are much more severe. He probably won't be able to operate, he was just brought in cos he was the only doctor available at that moment. But don't worry, she will be saved! Thanks for the review!_

_Well, here is the second chapter! The 'murderer' is revealed..._

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Chapter 2: Surprise

'Kate... Kate...' Jack repeated to himself. It was true, he wanted to see her, no... he needed to see her, but not here; not like this.

'Dr. Shephard?' a nurse asked placing a hand on his shoulder and looking down at him. 'Are you okay?'

'...Yeah, I'm fine. Just great. After two years on the island, we get rescued. I haven't seen her in what? Four months? Yeah, four months eleven days. That's how desparate I am. I count down the days. Because I cannot spend a minute without her. And now you bring her here, with all these injuries asking me if I am okay?! Yeah, I'm fine. Never been better!' Jack laughed bitterly. The nurse realised that she had made the situation worse and stopped abruptly.

'Right, I want you to take her to the best surgeon in this hospital at this moment. You know that I can't operate on her, so I want the best surgeon to do it.' Jack said. The nurse nodded and quickly left to find somebody to take care of Kate. After what seemed like a lifetime, she came back with a surgeon that Jack didn't recognise but he agreed for him to do the surgery, since as there was nobody else to take care of her. As soon as they took her away, Jack turned back to the nurse.

'I want to know who hit her.' he said, his voice low and subtle.

'I'm sorry, but we can't tell you that.'

'WHAT?! WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN'T TELL ME THAT! I WORK HERE AND I HAVE AS MUCH RIGHT TO KNOW WHO HURT HER AS YOU DO! NOW TELL ME WHO DID IT!' Jack spat at her fiercely. The nurse gave him a scared expression and took a step back. She decided that it was best if she told him.

'Come with me.' she said and Jack followed quickly behind her. 'Now, please calm down. I will not let you see a patient when you are in this situation.'

'Oh, you won't? You can't stop me. I work here and I am better qualified then you are.' he yelled.

'True.' the nurse said calmly. 'But you do not have the right to yell at patients. Especially when they have just been in an accident. This was nobody's fault and it will never be. I am not better qualified then you, but I can still tell you to be more respectful.' Jack looked at her apologetically.

'I know. I'm sorry. I should never have shouted at you.' he said.

'No problem. Just don't do it again.' she said and they carried on walking. They went up the stairs and stopped in front of room 815. As soon as Jack saw the room number he went pale. Bad luck was coming his way.

'Right, here it is! Now please be nice! She only just woke up. There weren't any major injuries, just a twisted ankle, a few bruises and a injured neck. But I'm sure that she feels very guilty so she will need all the support we can give her.' The nurse said and Jack nodded as he prepared himself for whoever was waiting for him on the other side. He took a deep breath as the nurse slowly opened the door. She went in first.

'Oh, I'm sorry to wake you up. Um, you have a visitor...' she said kindly.

'It's okay.' A woman's voice came from the other side. As soon as Jack heard the voice he thought it sounded familiar. He was still waiting outside the room and memories flooded back to him.

_Who is it?_

He thought. He knew the voice very well from somewhere. Where was it from...? At that moment, the nurse came out.

'You can go in now, Dr. Shephard.' she said as she started walking down the isle and back to her work. Jack took a deep breath and opened the door bravely. He went inside and looked over at the bed where a woman about his age was lying down, staring at him with a confused expression. They stared at each other for a few seconds after which they said simultaneously:

'Jack?'

'Sarah?'

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_Well done to everyone who guessed it was Sarah! You guys are great mystery-solvers! LOL! And may I just ask, what is Sarah/Jack ship called? Cos I don't know... But please keep reviewing! And ideas and suggestions will be considered for future chapters!_


	3. I've changed, but you haven't

Chapter 3: I've changed, but you haven't.

They started at each other with confused expressions. How... this was not possible. Jack laughed at the uncomfortable situation. His ex-wife and Kate?! They met? This couldn't be happening to him. He looked down to try and get away from the room, but Sarah spoke and soon broke the silence.

'So, how's life?' she said completely ignoring the whole situation and sounding completely normal. Jack couldn't believe his ears. After all this, all she can come up with is how's life?!

'How's life?! After all you have done to me, you just come here and ask 'How's life!' he spat. Sarah looked a little taken aback but she knew he wouldn't touch her, would he?

'Sorry.' she mumbled.

'What were you thinking?!' Jack shouted.

'Well, I thought that I should start a conversation since you didn't seem like you were going to...'

'Don't be stupid. You know what I meant.'

'...Look, Jack. I know that I did things in my life that I never should have done, but I just want you to give me a second chance.' she pleaded. Jack went over to her bed and stared at her. Her vision was clouded by a few tears in her eyes which hadn't yet fallen. She looked down at her bruised hands.

'Oh, I see.' Jack laughed as he sat down on the hospital chair next to her bed.

'You see what...?'

'This is one of your games again, isn't it? Well, don't worry, I remember. I'll play along too.' he leaned forward.

'What games? Jack, I'm serious.'

'NO, Sarah! You are not serious. Before you broke up with me, I asked you if you were having an affair. You said exactly the same thing: 'No, Jack. I'm serious'. And now you are saying it again? Do you think that I'm stupid, do you think that I would actually _believe_ you?!' he yelled as he came up to her, face to face, with his hands resting on either side of the bed. Sarah's heart beat faster and faster in her chest and her eyes nearly popped out of their sockets. But she finally relaxed. Then she noticed something:

_The same perfume!_

She thought and laughed. Jack gave her a disgusted look.

'You think this is funny?! You think I'm doing this for _fun_?!' he spat at her.

'No I wasn't laughing at tha-'

'God, do you ever stop lying?' he said as he walked up and down the room, putting his hands up in the air as a sign of giving up. 'It's always lies with you, isn't it?'

'No, Jac-' she whispered as she tried to sit up but was unable to. She gave out a huge cry of pain.

'See? You even try to make it seem like it hurts! You just want people to be on your side, don't you? You want people to feel bad for you!'

'Jack, please it hurts!' she said as she cried out for help. At that moment the nurse came in.

'Is everything alright, miss? I heard screams.' she said uncertainly as she looked over at Jack, thinking that he hurt her. Sarah looked over at Jack and then back at the nurse and simply said:

'Yeah, everything's fine. Can you please, just leave us alone for a moment?' she asked.

'Yes. But if I hear another cry, he's leaving.' she said as he pointed over at Jack.

'Don't worry. I was going to do that anyway.' he said firmly. The nurse nodded and left the room.

'Jack, you've changed. You weren't like this befo-'

'Before, what? Before you left me sitting dumbly at my house thinking that I had done something wrong? Before that? That's because I didn't see this before, Sarah. Because I didn't see what you were like. I've changed... but you haven't.'

'Jack, please! Just give me another chance!' she was now in a deep flood of tears but Jack couldn't help but feel even more disgusted at how she could lie so badly. He went over to her bed.

'I don't care what you want, Sarah.' he started calmly. 'I don't care who you live with, or about any children you have. I don't care about you. I don't even know why you wanted another chance with me: I am guessing that you just wanted more money. I wanted to get you out of my life and start again, but of course, you _had_ to ruin it. You _had_ to hit Kate. I only want you to do one thing: I want you to get out of this hospital when you feel better and leave me alone. I don't _ever_ want to see you or any of your friends or relatives ever again. You made my life a misery, but I'm not going to let you carry on making it worse. So as I said, get out of my life.'

And after that calm but firm speech, Jack turned on his heels and went out the door without looking back.

'Oh yeah, and one more thing,' he said opening the door again. 'As I said before... I've changed but, you haven't.' and with that, he closed the door for the final time, leaving a tearful Sarah, astounded at her bed.

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_A few people asked if I am going to do this a Sarah/Jack fic? The answer is NO WAY!!! As you can see from this chapter, Jack absolutley detests Sarah. I know that he probably was a bit too harsh, but I wanted to change his character to a much stronger and determind person. So yeah, it's gonna be Jate, and Jate only! Yey! Thank you SO much to all those fabulous reviews all of you left me! Love you all! If you liked this chapter, please review again; it makes me really happy. And one more question before I go: do you want me to stop this fic in a few chapters when Kate wakes up and everything is okay? And so it finishes, but I do a sequel a few years later? Or do you want me carry on this fic but with the same plotline? _


	4. I miss you

Chapter 4: I miss you

Jack couldn't sleep that night. He had not been allowed to see her, and he couldn't stop worrying. The surgeon told him to go home and have a rest, since as he had to carry on working tomorrow, and Jack protested for a long time but soon gave up after the doctor said that she cannot have any visitors which is when Jack left.

After giving out a long, depressed sigh, he turned around to lie down on his side and pulled the covers up. Because he was facing his bedside table, he saw the picture. The picture that was taken right after they were rescued and got back to their own lives. He was sitting next to Claire, holding Aaron and Kate was on the other side next to him. Jack looked at her, lovingly. He remembered that he didn't have the chance to say goodbye to her that time; it had happened too quickly and everyone had parted their own ways after getting off the boat.

Jack quickly snapped out of his thoughts when his alarm rang. Six o'clock. Another day. he thought as he switched it off and got out of bed. His days were all the same; in fact he hated his work. The only great part about it is when he could save another life. He wished he could do that to Kate but something told him that it was going to be a long time until she wakes up. This wasn't just another day, this was the day that he was going to see Kate again.

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Jack walked into his hospital and went straight over to the front desk. The receptionist smiled warmly at him, waiting for him to start a conversation. He took a big breath before asking the question that could completely changed his life. 

'I just wondered whether Kate Austin's operation went alright?' he asked shakily. The receptionist looked at her computer to check the surgeries taking place and looked back at him again.

'Yes,' she smiled and Jack grinned. 'it was very long, but it was successful.'

'Thank you. Do you know if I am allowed to see her?' he asked.

'Family member?'

'No, just a friend.' he said, though deep inside, he wished he was something more.

'You'll have to ask the nurse in her room. It's room 469.' she said as he walked away after nodding. Jack walked towards Kate's room and stopped right in front of it when he got there. He sighed slightly and opened the door. The first thing he saw was a nurse standing up and recording, and a monitor right above the hospital bed where Kate was lying on. The nurse smiled at him and exited the room. Jack walked over to Kate's bed and smiled sadly as he saw her bruised figure. Her skin had lost its tan and her freckles were no longer visible through those scrapes and bruises.

Jack pulled a chair and sat down carefully on it. He took her hand, which was extremely cold and kissed it softly. He sighed as he put a strand of hair behind her ear and stroked her face with a finger, lovingly.

'Hi, Kate.' he whispered and kissed her hand again.

'It's Jack.' he smiled. 'Don't worry, you are gonna be fine. I'll make sure of that. You'll be just fine... I hope you get better soon. I miss you so much.' he added when a few tears got into his eyes. 'I'll come back soon to see how you're doing; I have to go to work now. Get better.' he said and kissed her forehead as he got up and looked back while smiling before walking out of the room and getting ready for work.

_

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_

_I am really sorry that I haven't updated for a while, but here was chapter 4 for you! I just want to say thank you so much for all those wonderful reviews and I hope that you are still enjoying it. Kate is not going to wake up for a long time, but that's all I'm giving away. Also, I think that I forgot to add in the last chapter that she had been let off by the court and no longer needs to go to prison. Please review!_


	5. An old 'friend'

_Once again, thank you very much for all those reviews. They really make my day. So chapter 5 is here and I hope you enjoy it!_

Chapter 5: An old 'friend'

Jack made his way home that night, without saying a single goodbye to anyone. He found that he could not concentrate fully in his work when Kate was in such a serious condition. However, the surgeons told him that he couldn't do anything about it and to stop blaming himself.

He got into the car, silently and drove his way home. It didn't matter that he wasn't thinking about anything else but Kate, he had told himself before that it was best if he kept strong for her, even though there were moments that he wished he could have been the one lying in her bed, and she could be the one still alive and healthy.

Just as he was thinking all this, he turned a corner but had to stop abruptly when a pedestrian was walking carelessly in front of him.

'Son of a bitch! Look where you're going will ya?' the pedestrian screamed at him after dodging backwards to stop himself from getting hit. Jack looked taken aback and started to pull over and get out of the car so he can get out and say sorry. As he moved forward to this 'unknown' passenger, he squinted his eyes to adjust to the darkness and gasped slightly when he saw who it was.

'Sawyer?' he asked, surprised.

'Well, well, well... If it ain't Dr. Giggles.' Sawyer mocked as he realised who it was.

'What are you doing in LA?'

'You know. Just out and about.' Sawyer said, like it was the most obvious thing in history.

'Out and about?'

'Yeah... what does it matter to ya anyway?'

'It doesn't.' Jack added after realising that it was Sawyer, we are talking about. The Sawyer that would never tell him anything.

'What are _you_ doing here?' Sawyer pushed when he heard Jack's answer.

'Sawyer, I _work_ here.'

'I don't mean that. I meant why are you out so late?'

'You sound like my mother.' Jack muttered to himself but simply quoted. 'You know. Just out and about.' Sawyer groaned in frustration.

'Isn't it a bit too scary for ya? I mean, the big bad wolf might come out and eat ya any second now.' he teased.

'Well, you definitely haven't changed.' Jack said. At that moment his cell phone rang and as soon as he saw that it was 'the hospital' calling he picked it up, immediately. They said that they would contact him if Kate woke up.

'Hello. Is she okay? Has she woken up, yet? Have you told her I'm coming?'

_'Jack, calm down. She hasn't woken up. We just wanted to say that she is a bit more stabilized now and we wanted to call you to say that you don't need to worry.'_

'Oh... Okay.' Jack said, sounding disappointed. 'Make sure you call me if she wakes up.' he added before hanging up. He sighed and looked away for a moment, in deep thought.

'Girlfriend of yours?' Sawyer asked.

'No... not a girlfriend.'

'Who then?'

'She was in a car crash. We don't know if she's going to live.' Jack said as he rubbed his forehead.

'Uhm, well this is all very nice, but who are we talkin' 'bout here?' Jack wondered whether to tell him, or not. He knew very well that Sawyer cared a lot about Kate, but if he told him then Sawyer would definitely want to go and see her, and the hospital made it strictly clear that no visitors were allowed at the moment. Jack was lucky to be able to see her, since as he was working there. They stood there in silence for a while, Jack still wondering whether to tell him or not but after a while he answered:

'Nobody, just forget it.' Sawyer shrugged and nodded, as if to say he understood.

'Okay, then.' he said, casually and Jack nodded.

'I'll have to go now. Nice meeting you, again.' he smiled.

'Bye, doc.' he cheered and turned around to go but then seemed to remember something else so turned back to Jack again. 'Oh, one thing before ya go? Have you heard from Freckles lately?'

'No, Sawyer.' Jack replied as he looked down sadly. 'I haven't.' And Sawyer nodded again and walked off in the other direction. It looked like everywhere he went something about Kate would always pop up. He just could not afford to lose her.


	6. Life's Not Fair

_I have to again, say thanks to all those of you who reviewed. Sawyer will be gone now, but he will be coming back. There is a reason why Jack didn't tell Sawyer about Kate. And anyway, if he would have told him, Sawyer still wouldn't have been able to visit Kate. I mean, think about it: What doctor would let you go and see someone who you aren't even a family member to and when the patient is in a life-or-death situation?! But anyway, enough of my rambling. The next chapter is here. Enjoy and please review!_

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Chapter 6: Life's Not Fair 

That night was extremely difficult for Jack. Whatever he tried to do, whatever came up, it was always about Kate. He could not stop thinking about her. He cared about her too much.

The next day he went to work again, as usual. Nothing came up that day. He decided to see Kate in his lunch break so he walked over to her room but something stopped him.

'No, I'm sorry, Dr. Shepherd. She cannot see anyone at the moment. Something has come up and we have to sort it out by ourselves.' her doctor told him. Another few doctors were in there together with a whole room of nurses, trying to calm her down. Amongst all this chaos, cries of anger and pain were heard from the nurses, as they tried to help her but everything that they tried failed.

'What is happening to her? You said she was fine before!' Jack screamed at him. He could hear the monitor beeping louder and louder as the crew tried to help her. Doctors rushed in and out of the room, getting their instruments, or whatever they could to help her.

'Yes, but now we don't know what it wrong. We think it might be something to do with her broken rib that could have entered deeper and punctured the lungs. Look, I have to go now to help her.' he said as he started entering the room.

'Uh... okay. You-you go and do that.' Jack said plainly still not believing that Kate could die any second now.

'Look, Jack. We know you care about Kate. Just go home and have a rest. You need it. If she gets better then we'll tell you and you can come and see her. We are trying our best.' the doctor said, sympathetically. Jack understood all of this but he couldn't just leave. He needed to see her... it could be the last time he saw her.

'We really need help. She's getting worse.' a nurse said with a worried expression on her face as she came to get the doctor.

'Yeah, I'm coming. Just one second.' he told her and then turned back to Jack. 'Try not to think too much about it. I'm sure that she wants you to.' he said as he put a hand on his shoulder and smiled sadly. He then turned around and with a sigh, walked into Kate's room.

Jack looked sadly at Kate's room. He couldn't belive that Kate could die any second now, and he wasn't there for her. He slowly walked to the window and touched it lightly as he tried to see her in between the chaos. She could not be seen. With a sigh, Jack sat down on the hospital chair and looked down. He knew what to do: he would sit right here until they told him he could go in. That's what he would do. To pass the time he made a whole list, in his mind, about things which were not fair about all of this.

It's not fair that Kate is in this situation.

It's not fair that he could not go in and at least hold her hand.

It's not fair that he didn't tell her how much he loved her before they parted ways from the island.

But what was he thinking?! It couldn't get better. Kate was in there, and it could be a while until she woke up. He had to face it: life's not fair.

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_If there are any ideas that you would like to see in this fic, then review or PM them to me. If they are interesting and sound good to go with the fic, then I'll use them! Ideas, please!_


	7. A bit of support

Chapter 7: A bit of support

A week had passed and Kate's situation had been stabilized now, but she had still not woken up. The doctors were right about the fact that one of her ribs had punctured her lung. They needed to keep her under watch since as she could stop breathing an second now and no body would know that if there weren't there.

Jack was allowed to visit her once in that week, but as soon as he saw her fragile body lying on that bed, tears were immediately brought to his eyes, which he couldn't stop. He let them flow over his face as he went and talked to Kate's lifeless body. Even though she was unconscious, Jack was certain that she could hear him, which is why he didn't stop talking to her.

He talked to her about anything, really. Anything that didn't have to do with her illness or the car crash. He talked to her about his house, the patients he had to operate on, his daily routine: even though what he did all day was work, think about Kate... and work again.

Right now, he was sitting at the table in, what used to be his spotless kitchen but had now grown dirtier since as he was too stressed to clean up. Jack brought the hot, round cup of tea to his mouth and sipped a little. He repeated again, and again. No expression came onto his face, just blankness. He was thinking about Kate again. He wondered when she would wake, when everything would be fine. The doctors reassured him that she was getting better by the day, but Jack could tell when people were lying. They were only saying so, so he wouldn't worry, he could see that she got paler and weaker every day.

The phone rang and Jack snapped out of his thoughts with a jump and went to pick it up.

'Hello?'

_'Hey, dude! How's it going, man?'_

'Hurley?'

_'Yeah!' Hurley said, sounding very enthusiastic._

'It's... good.' Jack lied. 'How are you?'

_'Great! You know, things are getting much better around here! I mean, my mom and me get along much better now and we still have a ton of money left and life's just... great!' Hurley added, with a squeal._

'Good.' Jack said, with a laugh,

_'Oh-oh! Dude, are you sure you're okay? You sound tired.'_

'Yeah... I'm fine.'

_'So... have you heard from anyone else from the island? I've called basically everyone that I swapped numbers with. Everyone's fine and they asked about you, too. They said that we should have a get-together. So, I heard from everyone but Kate. She's not picking up. Do you know where she is?'_

This was what Jack was dreading the most. He wondered whether he should tell Hurley about Kate. He didn't tell Sawyer because he could not have visited, that was the policy. But Hurley was far away so he couldn't visit anyway...

'Yeah... I heard from her.' Jack sighed and waited for the 'where is she' part.

_'So... where is she?' Hurley asked. When nothing but silence came from the other end Hurley asked again: 'Jack?'_

'She's... she was... she was in a car crash, Hurley.' Jack said as his voice broke and a sob encountered his body. Hurley took a long moment to take in the hard piece of news in.

_'...Dude... I'm really sorry, man. Uhm... where is she?'_

'She's in the hospital.' Jack said with a confused expression.

_'Yeah, but which hospital?'_

'The main one in LA, where I work.'

_'Oh, that's good! Cos I'm in LA, right now. Can I come and see her, tomorrow?'_

Oh, no. Jack had blown it. Kate was not allowed to have many visitors, but it looked like Hurley really wanted to come and see her.

'Look, Hurley. I'd love for you to come, but-'

_'Oh, that's great, man! I'll see you there. Tomorrow, say... 11 in the morning?'_

What was Jack doing? This was breaking the hospital regulations; he was not allowed to do this!

'Uhm... okay. But make sure you come alone! Okay? The rules are very strict.'

_'Sure, man! I'll come alone! Okay, see you!'_ Hurley said and they both put the phone down.

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_Yeah, yeah. Hurley says that he'll come alone, but you know what he's like! He'd do exactly the opposite to what Jack says. So who is going to come with him? Once, again, I appreciate all your reviews. Yes, I also feel really sorry for Jack. Any more ideas? If you have any, then please review! Oh and special thanks to LostBluePhantom for the idea of adding Hurley in._


	8. I told you to come alone!

_Thanks to all those reviews! Sorry that I haven't been able to update soon, but here is the next chapter. Enjoy and please tell me what you think: ideas will also be appreciated!_

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Chapter 8: I told you to come alone!

Winter was coming, and it was coming fast. Soon it would be Christmas, although Jack knew that he would most probably spend it working, at the hospital. Today was the 15 of December and Jack got to his office, ready to start work as usual.

Today was the day that Hurley would come and visit Kate. Jack sat down for a moment and thought about the whole situation. He was told that she was getting better, despite the fact that she could barely breathe on her own and that she hadn't woken up yet. Jack was sure that the doctors were lying to him about the her health, or at least about the fact that she was getting better, but at least she was okay for the time being.

He looked at his watch. 10:52 was displayed clearly on the screen. Hurley was meant to come at 11 o'clock. What bothered Jack the most is the fact that he was worried that Hurley would not follow his instructions properly and he would bring... well... the whole island with him! Jack had already spoken to Kate's doctors and persuaded them to let Hurley see her. It was difficult but he did it, eventually. But what would happen if Hurley brought other people with him? That would be a big problem.

Jack's cell phone rang and he immediately opened it and picked it up when: Hurley was displayed on it.

'Hello?'

_'Hi, man! We're here! Where should we meet you?' Hurley said, enthusiastically._

'We?!' Jack stressed, and hoped that he had heard it wrongly. He had asked Hurley to come alone and keep it to himself!

_'Oh, did I say 'we'? Sorry, I meant 'I'! Hurley stated, nervously._

'Hurley, what's all that noise behind you?' Jack asked. Shouts were heard behind where Hurley was, and Jack could tell that Hurley was shouting at the telephone since as they could not hear each other properly.

_'Sorry? I can't hear you.'_

'I SAID WHAT'S ALL THAT NOISE BEHIND YOU?' Jack shouted into the phone.

_'Oh, that noise! Uhm... well, there is a lot of traffic about, you see!' Hurley yelled back. Jack looked out of the window: there were barely 5 cars on the road!_

'Okay. Go to the reception and tell them that you have arranged a meeting with Jack Shepherd. They'll show you the way. My office number is 71.'

_'Yeah, okay! We're coming!' Hurley said, and then corrected himself: 'Errr... I mean, I'm coming.' he said and quickly put the phone down._

**10 minutes later**

A loud knock came from Jack Shepherd's office door. Jack looked at it and shouted:

'Come in!'

'Hey, man... I'm really sorry, Jack.' Hurley added with a hint of sorrow.

'Yeah... so am I.' Jack sighed. He could hear shouts coming from behind the door and put on a confused face as he went towards it. 'What's happening over there?'

'Nothing!' Hurley said, almost too quickly. He blushed and looked around the room; anywhere but Jack.

'Hurley? Is there something you would like to tell me?' Jack asked, carefully. Before Hurley had a chance to answer a man, in the shape of Sawyer, burst into the room.

'I thought you said you hadn't seen her!' he yelled, hotly.

'Hurley! I told you to come alone!' Jack said as he buried his head into his hands.

'I'm sorry, dude! They got it out of me!' Hurley defended himself as a whole bunch of the fellow losties came into the room. Mostly everyone was there: around 20 people. Jack eyed each one of them carefully in awe, disappointment, and anger.

'You brought Aaron along?!' he asked, incredulously.

'We didn't have time to get anyone else to look after him.' explained Claire. Charlie nodded his head.

'Hurley! I told you not to tell anyone!'

'Well, I only told one person!' Hurley complained.

'One person?' Jack asked sarcastically pointing at the crowd in front of him.

'Yeah. I told Charlie; he then told Claire who told-'

'Oh, God!' Jack said as he looked up to the sky and sighed heavily.

_Flashback_

_10 minutes after Jack and Hurley's conversation_

_Hurley could not believe that Kate was in this situation. He couldn't believe that she could die any minute. He looked down and sighed. Just then his phone rang and he went to pick it up._

_'Hello?'_

_'Hi, Hurley! It's Charlie here!'_

_'What is it now?' Hurley groaned. Charlie had been calling him around ten times every day and there didn't seem much to talk about any more._

_'Are you okay, Hurley?' he asked._

_'Well, if I told you a secret, would you promise to keep it to yourself?' Hurley said._

_'Yeah, sure! What is it?'_

_'I just talked to Jack and he said that Kate was in a car crash. He said that it was alright if I visited tomorrow.'_

_'That's bloody awful!' Charlie said and a shout was heard from Claire in the background not to swear in front of Aaron. Charlie apologised and then continued the conversation. 'Is it okay if I come, too?'_

_'Yeah, I mean, Jack told me to come alone but I'm sure that just one more person will be okay… and I'm sure that he'd love to see you!'_

_'Great! Where is it, then?'_

_'LA Hospital at 11 am.' Hurley said._

_'Okay! See you tomorrow then! And I promise that I will come alone!' Charlie said and they both put the phone down._

_'Claire?' Charlie said as he turned around to her. They had been living together, happily, since they left the island._

_'Yes?'_

_'That was Hurley on the phone. Apparently Kate was in a car crash and Jack told Hurley that it was okay that he could come and then Hurley told me to come, too.'_

_'Oh, dear! Well, I can come too, right?' Claire asked as she played with Aaron._

_'Well, he did say that I shouldn't bring anyone…'_

_'Oh, come on, Charlie! Kate was one of my best friends on the island!'_

_'…Okay then.' Charlie said and Claire squealed as she gave him a peck on the lips. She then went to the phone and started calling Sun. And that was how the message got spread around. Sun told Jin and Desmond. Desmond told Sawyer and Locke. Locke told Boone and Shannon. Sawyer told Ana. Ana told Libby, and so on._

_End Of Flashback_

'… And that's what happened! I'm serious, I didn't tell anyone, just Charlie!' Hurley moaned.

'Okay, then. I'll go and see if they will let some of you in. But I told them that only one person was allowed in so I doubt it that any of you are going to get to see Kate.' Jack said and went out. The people sat in silence in Jack's office, preparing themselves to see one of their best friends on the island, who was now unconscious.


	9. No wods to say how much we miss you

Chapter 9: No words to say how much we miss you

Jack turned down the corridor and stopped in front of Kate's room. He was still very angry that Hurley had not followed his instructions and came with so many people, but in a way he was also glad to see that they all cared so much about Kate. He was almost sure that they were not going to let all of them visit her.

He knocked on the door and waited for an answer to come. When he heard that it was safe to go in, he opened the door and entered the room. Kate was lying down, as usual. Jack's heart broke when he saw her pale face. He was not sure, however it did look like she was looking a little better since the last time he had seen her. It wasn't much, but it gave Jack courage that she might be okay and hopefully, will wake up soon.

Jack looked at the doctor's welcoming smile, and decided to speak.

'Hi, one of Kate's friends wanted to see her, so I wondered whether it would be okay?'

'Yeah, sure. She's gotten much better, so it's okay for one or two people to see her a day.' he smiled as he walked over to the door to exit the room.

'Well, there is kind of a problem... he brought another few friends with him and they all want to see her.' Jack answered sheepishly.

'Jack... when I said that Kate could have visitors, I didn't mean-'

'Yes, I know what you meant but... they really want to see her. On the island, they were always together, and everyone was good friends with her, and they all care about Kate so much... please.' Jack pleaded, with a hopeful expression but he doubted that her doctor would say yes.

'How many people?'

'About... twenty.' Jack answered, looking down in embarrassment.

'Twenty?! No, I'm sorry, Jack, that's too many. The most people that she can see today is five.' he said.

'No, you have to listen to me.' Jack said as he walked in front of him, with a determined face. 'Those people have come all this way from all around America just to see Kate. They care about her a lot and they want to see her and they hope that she gets better... I mean, right now they are probably sitting in my office trying to figure out who will go first to see her.' Jack smiled softly, as he imagined what must be happening right now. 'If they don't see her today, then they might not see her for a very long time.' Jack answered as a thought flashed into his mind that Kate might not survive this, after all. That same thought quickly blacked away, however, when Jack forcefully told himself that he must be strong about this.

'I understand the situation, Jack. And I'm sorry, but I can't change the hospital rules. You know that as well as me. I'm letting 6 people see her today, that's the limit. If it's easier then, maybe 6 people can see her today and then 6 tomorrow, but I can't do anything else about it. Kate is getting better; we can both see that so hopefully she'll wake up some time soon.' he nodded and left the room. Jack sighed and went to hold Kate's hand for a few moments.

'Hey, Kate. They'll be here soon. Hurley, Charlie, Claire, Locke, Sayid and all the others... and Sawyer.' Jack added as he smiled and imagined Sawyer's face when he would see her and how, if Kate was awake, she would roll her eyes at him telling him that she is alright.

'They all arrived this morning. They care about you very, very much. I do too.' Jack smiled as he kissed her forehead before leaving the room to go and get the others waiting in his office.

* * *

'So... who's gonna go in first?' Hurley asked as they all stood up, crowded around the tight space in front of Kate's room. No one said anything. They all wanted to go first, but they expected someone else to go in first. 

'Well, since as 6 people are allowed then you can go in three at a time.' Jack replied solemnly.

'I want to see her.' Claire and Charlie answered at the same time. Aaron would have to stay outside.

'I do, too.' Hurley said, looking down. Sayid and Desmond also said yes and there was one more person left.

'Oh, Kate.' Sawyer said as he buried his face in his hands. He hadn't said a word after his outburst at Jack and he hardly spoke when he got to Kate's room. The rest of the crew looked over at him, he was in an awful state. It wasn't clear from where Jack was standing but he thought that Sawyer was weeping.

'Dude... do you want to see her?' Hurley asked, miserably.

'Yeah.' Sawyer said with a muffled voice. The survivors were shocked that he hadn't thrown in a sarcastic comment and even more shocked that he had called her 'Kate' and not 'Freckles'. The rest of them nodded as Charlie, Claire and Hurley prepared themselves as they entered the room.

A cry was immediately heard from inside the room and they guessed that it was Claire's. Charlie held Claire and calmed her down a little as Hurley walked over to Kate and mumbled a few words to her. He got up, again after a couple of minutes, letting Charlie and Claire say their words to Kate. A few minutes later those three people came out and it was time for Sayid, Desmond and Sawyer to go in.

As Charlie, Claire, and Hurley came out, everyone else looked at their saddened and sorrowful faces and they knew that the poor sight of Kate would most definitely bring a few tears to their faces.

* * *

_Hello, again! I just wanted to say thank you again for reading and of course to all those reviewers! I'm sorry that I wasn't able to update sooner but I've been busy and also the site didn't let most people here update. But that was chapter 9 for you! I had a few people saying that they would like to see a talk/argument from Sawyer and Jack and that would come up next chapter. Another few people also asked when Kate was going to wake up and if she was going to wake up at all. The answer is that she will wake up in a few chapters time so be patient for the moment! Just to confirm, this story is nowhere near finished and there is a lot more to go after Kate wakes up so make sure that you keep reading and reviewing! Thanks._


	10. It's Not That Simple

Chapter 10: It's Not That Simple

Sayid, Desmond and Sawyer walked solemnly into Kate's room and closed the door carefully. The sight of Kate just lying there, helpless, shocked them completely. She was one of their friends, and they wanted, more than anything for her to wake up.

Sawyer walked slowly over to the chair near Kate's bed and sat down on it, never taking his sight away from her. He missed her so much. He would do anything just to make her wake up. He loved her, but it was a different kind of love to Jack's. Sawyer loved her as a friend, somebody who he could have a fun time with; laughing, making jokes, and talking. He wanted her to wake up, he hated seeing her like this, but he knew that it would take quite some time.

Sayid and Desmond walked over and the three of them spent some time thinking about Kate, hoping that she would wake up and second.

'I'm sorry, Kate.' Sawyer said as he brushed the hair out of her face. Desmond and Sayid were amazed at the fact that he would apologise for something, but they knew from the way he said it that he meant it with all his heart and they knew everything Sawyer was talking about.

A few minutes later they walked out of the room again and the rest of the people who hadn't seen her yet, exited the hospital and went to find a hotel to stay during the night so they could come back tomorrow and see her.

Sawyer stayed, however. He wanted to talk to Jack about why he didn't tell him about Kate in the first place. They walked into Jack's office and both sat down facing each other. Jack had a feeling that this 'conversation' would be more like an argument but he was surprised when he heard Sawyer's voice and the way he talked to him.

'Why didn't you tell me?' he asked, looking down at the wooden desk where Jack was sitting on.

'Because I knew that you would have wanted to see her and you would have wanted to come that day, but they wouldn't let you in. I knew that you would have put on an argument when they would have tried to throw you out when you didn't obey the rules.' Jack replied with the same tone.

'So if I didn't find out yesterday, you would have never told me?' Jack didn't like the direction this was going in.

'No.' he answered simply, expecting Sawyer to throw in a sarcastic comment at him, or an argument but he was even more surprised when he just nodded.

'Who hit her?' he asked again.

'Well... this is going to sound weird-' Jack replied as he shifted around uncomfortably.

'Why?' he asked yet again, this time getting even angrier.

'My ex-wife.' Jack sighed. The blood rushed to Sawyer's face as he clenched his fists together.

'So, you just let her hit Kate?!' Sawyer said, hotly.

'No, you don't understand.'

'Oh, I understand perfectly, Doc. You probably care more about your ex-wife than Kate so you didn't care what happened to her.' he argued.

'How could you even think that? How could you even say that I don't care about Kate when I was so outraged to find out that Sarah hit her?!' Jack yelled as he stood up, hitting his fist in frustration at the desk.

'So, why didn't you tell me, then?' Sawyer argued yet again, standing up to face Jack face-to-face.

'I told you that already, Sawyer.' Jack sighed.

'No. You just care about yourself. If you really cared about Kate then you would have argued with the _laws,_ whatever it took so they could let everyone in to see her.'

'Sawyer, it's not that simple. It's really not as simple as you think. I can't change the rules of the hospital. I already argued with Kate's doctor so he could let six people in. If I argued with anyone else, then they have the right to throw me out and-'

'Oh, now I get it. You care about them _firin'_ you. Yep, it all makes sense now. Trust you to do somethin' like that, Jackass.' Sawyer spat at him.

'You're pathetic, Sawyer. You really are. I love Kate, much more then you think and know. Why do you always want to argue? Why don't you listen for once?!' Jack asked, softer this time. Sawyer looked at him with an unreadable expression and shook his head at Jack. _The man was impossible_. Jack thought and waited for another sarcastic comment or a brand new nickname but his answer surprised Jack the most.

'As you said, _Doc:_ It's not that simple.' Sawyer answered, simply, and walked out of the room.

* * *

_Where did all my reviewers go? You don't like the story any more? Oh, I guess that's okay then... sheds tear_

_Nah, only joking! You don't have to review if you don't like it. Well, there was chapter 10 for you! Oh, and to clear any confusions, this fic is going to stay Jate and only Jate:D I know that I had a little bit of Skate there, but that was requested by some of the reviewers and I thought that it would be realistic to write it in, but that won't mean that it will change to Skate: It's always going to be Jate:D_


	11. A new beginning

_Wow! I was surprised to see how many reviewed for the last chapter even though it was a bit out of character. Your reviews make me very happy so if it's not too much to ask, please review again:D_

_This fanfic is nearly over. There are a few more chapters but it will be over. I'm not saying whether it will be a sad or happy ending though. I don't think that I have explained the timeline of this but this is meant to be the 18th December right now. So yeah... here's the chapter you have all been waiting for... Enjoy!_

* * *

Chapter 11: A new beginning 

**Two days later**

Kate's friends had visited her as it was promised. All of them had talked to her, and prayed that she would wake up some time soon. Christmas was coming and they hoped that Kate could wake up for the festive season. The rest of them left that day and thankfully, Kate was getting much better.

The night outside was chilly and dark. Jack walked into her room and sat down on the chair next to her bed, as he did every day. He smiled at her, even though he was very tired from the hard day at work. He didn't remember the last time he slept... 15 hours ago? twenty hours ago? He took her hand, yawning at the same time and before he knew it, he had drifted off to sleep...

* * *

A blur of dim shapes was the first thing that Kate Austin saw as she opened her droopy eyes. It took her a minute or two to adjust her eyes to the light around her. When she was sure that she could see properly she looked around the room. 

_Where am I?_

She thought as she shifted a little in her bed. Her eyes scanned the room slowly: nothing interesting. Then, just as she was about to close her eyes again, they stopped on a figure sitting in front of her. She squinted her eyes again to see who it was. It took her a moment to figure out who he was.

_Jack?_

She wondered. Then thoughts came back to her. She began to remember... the island... rescue... running... the judge letting her go free... the crash. And that's where it stopped. That was the last thing she remembered.

_Was I in a car crash?_

She thought curiously as she tried to lift her arm to her head, but found that it was very difficult. She gave out a moan which seemed to wake Jack up. He rubbed his eyelids and sighed. Then he opened his eyes again to find Kate staring at him. He laughed and leaned forward.

'Kate?'

'Hmmm.' Kate groaned and tried to sit up a little. Jack helped her, as gently as possible.

'You okay?' he asked.

'What... where...?'

'Don't worry, Kate. You're okay. Just try not to move too much. Stay here, I'll just go and get the doctor.' he smiled as he got up ready to leave the room.

'Doctor?' she asked in confusion. That was when it hit him: she might not remember what happened.

'Kate, do you remember anything?'

'Yeah... I... was I in a car crash?' she asked as she tried to remember what had happened and why she was in the hospital in the first place.

'Yeah... you were in a car crash. They brought you in and they had to operate on you.' he said as he tried his best not to cry as he remembered those painful days where he couldn't concentrate on nothing else but her.

'How long has it been?' she asked. She could speak a little better now.

'About three weeks.' he replied.

'Oh.'

'Yeah... listen let me just get your doctor.' he said, again getting ready to go out.

'Jack, please be quick.' she pleaded as she looked at him.

'Why, is something hurting you?'

'No. I just want you to stay with me.' she said blushing a little. Jack smiled.

'I'll be right back.' he answered as he closed the door behind him.


	12. Five days

_Here is a very, very short chapter for you. I only updated yesterday, but I have nearly finished writing this fic and there are about 7 or 8 more chapters before it finishes so I thought that I should tell you. Read on and review afterwards! (And thanks to all those that did review for the last chapter, you guys rock!)_

* * *

Chapter 12: Five days 

Jack and Kate's doctor entered her room. They were both surprised and pleased that she had woken up. They walked in with huge grins spread over their faces and Jack went and sat next to her bed as the doctor began to write something on the clipboard in his hand.

Kate opened her eyes again, she was tired and wanted nothing more than to sleep but she knew that she shouldn't just yet. She rubbed her forehead and smiled up at Jack.

'How are you feeling, Miss Austen?'

'I'm okay. I've just got a bit of a headache, that's all.' she answered.

'Okay, that's good. Don't worry about the headache though, it will go away quickly.' he replied kindly as he looked up from what he was doing and smiled.

'I'll be right back.' Jack said as he squeezed her hand and went out of the room so her doctor can take readings and see how she was. It turned out that she was fine, better than he thought she was. After ten minutes, Jack entered the room again.

'Kate, you are fine. You are recovering very quickly and I think that you should be able to leave the hospital if everything goes succesfully, in about...' he thought as he scanned his paper. 'five days.'

'Just in time for christmas.' Jack smiled, maybe it wouldn't be that bad.

'It's christmas already?' Kate asked.

'Yeah, it's the 18th December today so you will be able to go on the 23rd which means you will be just in time for the festive season.' the doctor smiled. Kate laughed a little but her happy expression quickly faded as she looked down and seemed to remember something.

'You okay?' Jack asked.

'Yeah. Just tired, that's all.' she quickly lied, trying her best to smile. It didn't convince Jack though and just when he was going to ask her again, her doctor spoke.

'Okay, we'll leave you for now. You should get some rest.' he nodded as he and Jack left the room and Kate quickly fell asleep.


	13. At Home

_Another chappie for you:P Thanks for the reviews everyone, really make me smile. Hope you enjoy this one!_

* * *

Chapter 13: At home 

**Five days later (December 23rd)**

A knock was heard behind the door and Kate turned around as she took her bag in her hand.

'Come in.' she said and Jack walked into the room.

'G'morning. Did you sleep well?' he asked as he took the bag from her.

'Yes. You?'

'Not too bad.' he smiled. Jack had slept much better and was feeling better too, knowing that Kate was awake and she would be let out of the hospital in time for christmas.

'You ready to go?'

'Yes.' she grinned. Those last few days had been so boring to her. The occasional time, Jack would come and visit but it was only for half an hour every day and she had nothing to do all this time. She was so happy to leave, she couldn't wait to get out and breathe the fresh air outside.

Kate had also got better physically. Her spraigned wrist had gotten much better and she could not move it freely in a circle without it hurting her. There was no sign of the internal bleeding and those four broken ribs were healing with time. Thankfully, the rib that had punctured her lungs was also healing and Kate could breathe well which was a sign that she was perfectly fit to leave the hospital.

'Let's go, then.' Jack whistled softly as they headed for the door. Kate took one final look in what used to be her room before shutting the door.

* * *

'Wow... it's a nice place you have here, Jack.' Kate looked around in awe at the beautiful house she had just entered. It was spotless clean, Jack had hired a maid to come and clean the whole place yesterday so Kate could have a good time here. 

'Yeah, it's alright.' he said, not really listening.

'Alright? I would love to live in a house like this!' she exclaimed as she fell on the fluffy cushions placed on the huge sofa bed. Jack shook his head at her reaction to the house, he really didn't think that she would love it so much. Her smile quickly faded away as she remembered something else, yet again. A new frown appeared on her face and she looked down in disappointment.

'What is it?' Jack asked softly as he settled down on the space in the sofa next to her.

'Nothing, it's just... well, they let me out without jail and... now I don't really know where to go and what to do.' she sad as she looked at him.

'There are lots of possibilities, Kate. You can always stay here and find a job close to here.' Jack said, hoping that she would agree.

'No, Jack. I can't intrude like this-'

'You are not intruding. I would love to have company whenever I get back home from work and you already said that you would love to live in a place like this, so... why don't you?' Kate just simply shook her head.

'It's not that easy, Jack.' she said and smiled at him, sadly. Jack's shoulders slumped and he frowned when he heard her reply.

'Well, think about it. But stay here for christmas at least?'

'Yeah, christmas will be nice.' she smiled.

'Right, so... do you want me to show you round the house?' he asked.

'Yeah, sure!' she said, brigthening up. Just as she was about to stand up, she got up and swayed a bit and had to support herself from falling over.

'Kate! You okay?' Jack asked, concern filling his voice.

'Yeah, I'm fine. I guess it's just that I got up too suddenly.' she smiled, weakly. Jack nodded, not convinced.

'Well, if you don't feel well or anything happens just tell me, okay?' Kate nodded and Jack showed her around the house.

'So, this is the living room. Dining room.' he said pointing to the room opposite. 'Kitchen's over there.' he pointed and they went up the flight of stairs. 'Here is my bedroom... the office... the guest bedroom... bathroom... and here is your bedroom.' he smiled as he took her to the room next to his.

It was a bright, spacious room. It was full with a double bed, a tall mirror, a desk, a bedside table and a bookcase. The carpet was a light green colour and so was the lampshade and the curtains. There were a few paintings in the room and some photoframes with photos in with what looked like Jack's family and friends.

Kate walked in and smiled at the bright, cosy room. Then she looked back at Jack.

'I love it! Thanks, Jack.'

'You don't need to thank me for anything.' Jack said sheepishly.

'Yes, I do. I need to thank you in the first place for letting me stay here.'

'Of course I'd let you stay here. I want you to feel at home.' he grinned. Kate laughed a little.

'Have a look in there.' he motioned to the door opposite the bed. Kate opened it and gasped at the size of it. In front of her stood a massive walk in wardrobe. She looked back at Jack.

'It's too much. I'll be okay just staying downstairs on the sofa.' Kate said as she began to exit the room. Jack laughed.

'Kate, I told you. I want you to feel at home!' he chuckled. _Home? What home?_ Kate thought at where and how she used to live when she was young. She sighed. 'You can stay in here.'

'Thanks, Jack.' she smiled. 'Um... I'm a bit tired. Do you mind if I just take a nap for a little bit?'

'No problem. Anything you need just ask.' he replied and left the room when Kate immediately went to bed.


	14. It's behind you!

_Hello, again:D Glad that you all liked the last chapter, thanks for revewing once again. Somebody asked why Kate was worried about Christmas? Well, it's not that she's worried, it's just that she's upset that she doesn't have anyone to spend it with and she doesn't want to impose on Jack, also because she remembered what her previous christmases were like with Wayne beating her and her mom up and all... That's all, nothing to worry about! Hope you all enjoy this chappie and don't forget to review!_

* * *

Chapter 14: It's behind you! 

Kate woke up the next day by the sound of banging downstairs and a shout heard afterwards.

_What is Jack doing, down there?_

She thought as she groaned, it was too early! She looked over at the clock next to her, on her bedside table: 06:15. She sighed and turned around, trying to get back to bed. It was no use, though; the bagning got louder and the shouts became more agitated.

She sighed and got out of bed. She put on her gown and went down the stairs to see Jack standing up on a chair in front of what looked like a huge christmas tree, trying to get the star on the top. She sniggered as quietly as possible but she just couldn't contain herself seeing Jack try so hard with something so easy.

As soon as he heard something behind him, he turned around, still standing on the chair.

'Oh, Kate! You're awake.' Jack said and yelled as he fell of the chair which could not hold him any more. He quickly got back up and blushed, fidgeting and looking at anywhere but Kate.

'What are you doing up this early, Jack?' she asked.

'Uh... I thought that it would be a good idea to put up the christmas tree because... er... well... I thought you'd like it...' he mumbled and ran a hand over his head. Kate laughed but was happy that he cared so much about her.

'I like it.' she smiled and was happy when he smiled back.

'So... how are you feeling?'

'I'm okay. Better than yesterday but I'm really tired.' she said, and she was right. It was visible from where Jack was standing that she had bags under her eyes and was slouching when she walked.

'Sorry, did I wake you up?' he asked.

'Yeah... but I can go back to bed.' she smiled, trying not to put him down. He had done all this for her, she was susrprised and amazed at how much he cared for her.

'Sorry,' he answered as he blushed, yet again. 'I didn't know that I was making so much noise.'

'It's okay... I'll see you in a few hours time.' she stated and was just about to leave the room when she heard Jack's voice again.

'Oh, and Kate?'

'Yeah.' she said as she turned around.

'Merry Chrsitmas.' he grinned and Kate laughed.

'Merry Christmas to you too, Jack.'

* * *

They were now standing in the queue for tickets for one of the pantomimes near them. Jack had told her, after she got up again, that they could go to a pantomime for Christmas since as he wasn't working. Kate liked the idea and decided to go. 

The queue got shorter and it was finally their turn to get the tickets. They both smiled sheepishly when they saw that they were going to see Aladdin.

It turned out that it was very good, they had a good time and laughed along.

'It's behind you!'

'Oh, no it isn't!'

'Oh, yes it is!'

'Oh, no it isn't!'

'Oh, yes it is!'

This carried on for a long time but Kate and Jack enjoyed the show, the Christmasy feel to it was nice but they were mostly enjoying each other's company. Kate felt safe when she was with Jack; it was a hard feeling to explain but he always made her feel safe and welcome and he was there for her when she needed him which was something that she didn't get often. She didn't tell him, but she was actually starting to like this new life.

'Thanks, Jack.' she said when the show had finished and they had gone back to their car.

'For what?'

'For everything.' Kate said and smiled.

'It's no problem.' Jack smiled back: it really wasn't.


	15. Shelby

Chapter 15: Shelby

The house seemed quiet when Jack walked down the stairs and over to the door to collect the post. He was surprised to see a letter in a pretty white envelope addressed to him. He walked over to the kitchen surface and opened it.

_Dear Jack, _

_Hey, dude! How's it going, man? Hope it's okay. I tried to call you a few times but you weren't answering, is everything okay? Anyway... I'm having a New Year's get together at mine; I thought it would be a nice idea and everyone has already said they are coming so I just wanted to see if you can. I understand if you can't with all the doctor stuff, but hopefully you can make it. Anyway, Merry Christmas and hope to hear from you soon! And Kate's been in my prayers, hope she is okay and can wake up soon. _

_From, _

_Hurley. _

Jack laughed when he read Hurley's letter. He hadn't told anyone that Kate had woken up yet, but now he wondered if he should.

Jack sighed and leaned on the surface. It would only be fair if his friends from the island knew. But not all of them: just Hurley since as he was the one organising this. At that moment he heard footsteps coming down the stairs and into the kitchen.

'Morning, Kate.' Jack smiled.

'Good morning.' she said and sat down at the table. 'What's that in your hand?' she asked.

'Oh, that... it's a letter from Hurley.' Jack said, nervously.

'So do you still keep in touch with everyone from the island?' Kate asked.

'Yeah... they came to visit you in the hospital.' Jack frowned and looked down sadly.

'Oh.' was Kate's simple answer. 'When?'

'A few days before you woke up. I haven't told anyone that you are out of the hospital yet.' he replied and Kate nodded.

'So... what did Hurley say?'

'He invited me to a New Year's get together with everyone from the island. Do you want me to call him and tell him so you can come?' Jack asked and Kate hesitated for a bit. He could see that something was worrying her. 'Kate?'

'I don't know... he might not want me to come.'

'Kate,' Jack laughed. 'Of course he wants you to come. You should have heard him when I told him that you were in the hospital, he was so shocked and sad to hear it. All of our friends from the island wanted you to wake up, some of them were crying to see you like that.'

'Yeah, but they might just be saying that.' Kate argued.

'No, trust me they weren't. They were really worried about you.'

'...Did Sawyer come?'

'Yeah.' Jack frowned; he hoped that she wasn't going to ask about Sawyer, remembering the argument they had before Kate woke up.

'Oh.'

'So, should I call Hurley?'

'Okay.' Kate shrugged.

'Okay, then. But first, I need to give you something.' a grin grew on Jack's face.

'What?' Kate asked, slyly.

'Close your eyes and come with me.' Jack laughed as he took her hand and led her to the living room. 'Good... that's it... we're here. Now-no wait, don't open your eyes!... Sit down here... good,' he said as he put what felt like box into her hand. _'Now_ you can open your eyes.' he answered waiting for her reaction.

Kate opened her eyes and grinned at the beautifully wrapped up box in front of her. It was big and covered in shiny, gold Christmas paper. An envelope was stuck to the top. Kate took it and smiled as she read the message:

_Dear Kate, _

_Merry Christmas! Hope you have a great time. _

_Open the present! Hope you're not allergic. _

_From, _

_Jack _

_xxx _

'Allergic?' Kate asked, confusion spread across her face.

'Just open the present.' Jack smiled. Kate began to unwrap the present carefully. She tried her best not to rip it since as the paper was worth keeping. At last, she took it off and turned the present around.

_Pawz: a comfortable bed for your precious pet dog. _

She read and was even more confused about it.

'But we don't have a-' she stopped as she felt something licking her hand that was at her side. She looked down to see a small, fluffy cocker spaniel licking her hand peacefully. Kate laughed.

'A dog!' she said and picked up the little creature. It had brown and white floppy ears and dark eyes. It was very little and had a few spots around but mostly just looked like a ball of fluff!

'I thought you might like it. I took him from the dog centre a few roads away from us because they said that the dog owners of its mother didn't want him. They said he needs a good home and a good owner.' Jack said and laughed to see Kate enjoying herself with the little dog.

'Does he have a name?'

'Yes, they called him Shelby.' Jack smiled.

'Shelby suits him!' Kate chuckled.

* * *

_An extra long chapter for you:D Just to confirm, Jack hadn't told anyone about Kate waking up so that's why she wasn't invited to Hurley's. A few more chapters and this fic will finish! Thanks a lot to my faithful reviewers and I hope you review again so I can put the next chapter up! _


	16. At the party

Chapter 16: At the party

_New Year's Eve: 18:23_

'Do I look okay?' Kate asked hoping the answer would be yes. It was finally New Year's Eve. She was looking much healthier than when she got out of the hospital and felt better too. Jack and Kate had a great time this Christmas playing games, going out to the park, playing with Shelby... they had gotten closer though Jack knew that Kate could move out very soon, even though he wanted her to stay.

'Err... you look beautiful.' Jack complemented. She really did look very beautiful; there was no doubt about that.

'Thanks.' Kate blushed. 'Let's go, then.' she smiled as they left the house ready to go to Hurley's New Year Party.

* * *

They had decided not to tell anyone about Kate getting out of hospital. It would be best if it were a surprise besides; Hurley will probably not be able to keep the secret! 

After a couple of hours driving, they finally got to the address written on the piece of paper that Jack was holding in his hand. He looked at it again and then looked up at her.

'We are here.' he smiled and they got out of the car.

It was beautiful. The house looked more like a palace and was three storeys high, a soft cream colour and had a very well looked after front and back garden. They both looked in awe at the scene in front of them.

'Wow.' Kate said, lost in a trance.

'Yeah, it's beautiful, isn't it?' Jack answered. Their gazes finally stopped in each other and they realised quickly where they were.

'Uh... we should ring the bell.' Kate suggested but was surprised to see Jack shaking his head.

'They don't know that you are coming so I think we should play a little surprise on them.' Jack smirked.

'What do you have in mind?' Kate asked.

'Right this is what we'll do...' he began.

* * *

_21:51_

'... Got it?' Jack asked one final time.

'Got it!' Kate repeated and went off in a different direction while Jack gave a thumbs-up sign before turning around and ringing the bell. He waited for a minute or so until Hurley opened the door.

'Dude, you made it!' he said hugging him tightly. Jack chuckled but nevertheless, hugged him back. 'We thought that you gave up and wouldn't come or you were lost somewhere or something, everyone is waiting for you!'

'Jack!' a face appeared behind Hurley's shoulder. Jack had to peak behind him to see Charlie trying to get in front of Hurley. 'You're here!'

After a few seconds, the whole crowd had gathered around him. Jack laughed. 'Shouldn't we go inside?' he suggested and a few 'yeahs' were heard. They all went inside again and continued partying and getting ready for the New Year.

The whole house had decorations everywhere and a tall, silver Christmas tree at the end of the main hall. A large table was set out and all different types of food had been left there as a buffet for people to come and eat. All of the people from the island had been invited: that was 35 of them altogether and they were all there, enjoying themselves.

* * *

_11:42_

A knock was heard at the other end of the door and everyone stopped partying and looked in that direction. Everyone's gazes turned towards there: some people still eating out of the kebab they had taken from the buffet. Some still standing, talking to people they hadn't seen for a while. Some were just standing around not doing much.

Everyone invited had arrived to the party, so who could it be... Santa?

* * *

_Hello, again:D_

_I'm really sorry that I hadn't updated for a while but this time, there is a very good reason. I had the whole story saved into this website and originally, Jack was meant to tell Hurley (and only him) that Kate was coming too but he messed it up as well and then he organised another party for her etc... but most of you said that you wanted it to be a surprise so I re-wrote the whole thing! I hope you liked it cos it took me about 1 hour to plan and 2 hours to write! _

_Oh, and I just wanted to say that the next chapter is the last one. Thanks for all those wonderful reviews, and for reading too but if it's not too much to ask: please review again? Thankies._


	17. The New Year

Chapter 17: The New Year

As Hurley walked towards the door to open it, all the others carried on with what they were doing: it probably wasn't anyone important anyway. Maybe the neighbour next door coming to complain about the amount of noise they are making or asking if they had seen their cat lately or something.

Hurley opened the door.

'I hope you guys have saved me some of those mars bars?' Kate smiled. Hurley's eyes widened and he rubbed them, to make sure he wasn't hallucinating.

_'Dude!_ You're back!' Hurley screamed and went to hug Kate tightly. He quickly stopped though. 'Er... sorry... am I hurting you? Sorry, I didn't mean-' He began and turned a bright red colour.

'Don't worry, Hurley. I'm fine.' Kate laughed. As soon as the other survivors heard a familiar voice, they rushed to the door and couldn't believe their eyes.

'Kate!' Sun shouted and hugged her, along with everyone else. She could see Jack in the background and smiled at him and he smiled back.

They all went back inside and everyone went back to what they were doing. Kate walked over to Jack.

'It worked.' she sighed.

'Yep. They were all so surprised to see you!' they both laughed. Just then someone familiar came into view and Kate and Jack walked over to where he was standing.

'Hi, Sawyer.' she grinned. Sawyer didn't know what was happening, he had been upstairs so had no idea that Kate was there. When he saw her, the corners of his mouth went so far up, Kate thought his mouth was going to burst. She laughed but was surprised by his actions when he walked over and hugged her tightly without thinking.

He mumbled something into her ear that sounded like 'I missed you' and Kate laughed.

'I missed you too, Sawyer.' she smiled as they broke apart.

'You didn't know what hell I was goin' through there, Freckles.' he grinned and they both fell laughing. 'Doc.' Sawyer nodded.

'Sawyer.' Jack greeted back. They shared a few seconds of an awkward silence.

'Oh, what the hell.' Sawyer shrugged and hugged Jack quickly too, before turning bright red.

'You missed me too, Sawyer?' Jack teased.

_'No_.' Sawyer rolled his eyes.

Just then, the voice of someone stopped them and they turned around in the direction of where that voice was coming from.

'Everyone! Gather for a photo!' Hurley shouted, with one hand at the camera ready to take lots of pictures in front of the Christmas tree. They all rushed and posed while Hurley got ready.

'Say _cheese_!'

_'Cheese_!'

* * *

_23:59_

'10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1... Happy New Year!' everyone shouted as they all jumped up and down happily. Hugs and kisses were spread around the room along with laughter and happiness.

'Dudes! I just wanted to say, thank you for everyone for coming here today. It feels great to be back together especially so we can celebrate the New Year and a new start for everyone.' Hurley smiled. 'I'd just like to say welcome back to one of our greatest friends from the island: Kate...' Hurley said and they all cheered for her, while Kate's face became a bright red colour, '...And I'd just like to ask Jack why he didn't tell us when Kate woke up and waited till now?' Hurley pushed on and all faces concentrated on Jack.

'I just thought it would be a nice surprise!' Jack said, innocently and everyone laughed.

'So, there's nothing else to say apart from Happy New Year!'

At the other end of the room, a conversation was happening between Jack and Kate.

'Jack?' Kate asked nervously.

'Yeah?'

'I just wanted to say... you know if the offer still stands... that it would be nice to move in with you-if the offer still stands and if you don't mind and if-'

'I'd love that, Kate!' Jack said as his face lit up.

'Great!' Kate smiled and hugged him. Just as she was about to go off, she turned around again.

'Oh, and Jack?'

'Yeah?'

'Happy New Year!' she smirked.

'Happy New Year to you too, Kate.' he chuckled as they carried on with the party celebrations. A new year- a new start. They both had a feeling that this year will be different... for the better.

* * *

_So I decided to end it on a happy note. I would just like to say thank you so much to all those who are reading, and espcially to those who reviewed. I am really proud of this story; it has become my most reviewed fic and it wouldn't have gotten anywhere without all of you amazing people. Thank you also to those who helped me with parts of the story and to those who gave me ideas but mostly to these special people: _

_xox-emily-xox, SassyLostie, hersheygal, Hellmouth20, SideAirBag, Amanda, Lost-Inuyasha, x-katie-x, midnight-sk8r, MULAN-IFUWEREGAY, AnnPatrick, Megs-3, Charlie4claire, Blue Panda, Zille, lostfox (known as 'the reviewer'!), music-writing-life, LostBluePhantom, Strizzy, Cassie, to the end of time, an-liesje, cazi92, HeatherUTSA2003, DragonRider8, Heavenlygirl4ever, livelovelast, greyslostwho, liz-jater, xXxUnReQuitEdxXx, light-stick, likesuperglue_

_This fic has come to an end (like all stories do, eventually!) so please don't ask for a sequel. I'm working on my other Jate story if you want to have a look: Switch (it's very different to this one!) so I would love any reviews on that. Thank you for all your amazing reviews and ideas, and if you haven't reviewed already, please review the last chapter. Thank you, once again._

_bonboni._


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